Pack Recommendations

[cw50must]

My girlfriend and I are day hikers, however we have decided that we need to go further. Our first adventure is going to be Havasupai. We have started looking at gear and neither of us have any idea what we are looking at. The last time I had this type of backpack was in boyscouts and that was over 20 years ago, abviously a lot has changed. :)

So what should we be looking for in a backpack? what are some nice features? which brands should we look for and which should we steer clear of? Also, I have a 3 liter camelback, could I use my camelback bladder in any of the packs?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Jammer]

My advice is to just go to a store and try on a BUNCH. Load it up with some weight/stuffing and wear it for a while. It seems like every person has different preferences -- and those will evolve the more trips you do. For that reason alone, I wouldn't break the bank with your first purchase.

You can definitely use the bladder you have. Even if the pack you choose doesn't have a sleeve, you can easily just lay it on top and run the tube out from under the lid.

- Jamal

[Byron]

Ahhh...fresh as the new fallen snow! Buy one that weighs no more than 4 pounds and make sure it holds a minimum of 3500ci. Gregory makes some good ones, look at Golite as well. Don't buy a heavy pack!

Another option is a external frame pack. Kelty makes them. They work very well, especially on desert trails. Remember, at least 3500.

[bobb169]

Stay internal frame, less to hang up. I would look at Granite Gear, they make some good stuff. Been using their Vapor Trail and Vapor Latitude for years. Decent weight, tougher than the "lightweight" packs out there.

[Mtnseeker1]

I went down in 88 with the granola girls of all granola girls with a tarp, one sleeping bag and no permits.
It was crazy fun.
We met the locale native whisky hauler at the top parking lot while he was paper wrapping his goods and gave us the scoop. and a drink.
Went something like this- You just ask around the parking lot and find the names of people that could not make the trip.
Tell the chief at the permit store/store by the helo landing field down at the bottom that you are them and made it after all but your camp site may have been givin out and you need a new camp permit.
ezy pezy
I thought I was going to starve to death. She brought a loaf of french bred for three days.
Best time I ever had.
We hiked out in july under a full moon after midnight and it still was 112* at the bottom when we started.

WE USED DAY PACKS that were all water and one loaf of french bread, one sleeping bag and one tarp just in case. The bag and tarp were tied on the out side.

I'm with Byron on this light
thing. This is all up hill to get out.

It will take a min. of 2 glns. water (EA>) in and about 3 to get out. That my friend is a heavy pack as far as I'm concerned. THat's close to 30# pack and water just to go up hill and not tents,bags ect.
God I miss that girl.
She talked me into another week of vacation time after a river trip to run down there and said she was told that the bob cats would come into your camp and jump up for your packs but if you tied them up under a pie plate that would keep them at bay.
We hung the loaf of french bread over the creek it seemed to have worked.


This is a hike that should be kept as light as possible trust me.
Going down is one thing but coming out is another altogether.
If you can take advantage of a full moon coming out do so you will love it.


BOTTOM LINE: IS GOE LIGHT just get started and have fun and maybe try and see if any friends can lend you a couple of light packs to try out. DO NOT PACK THE KITCHEN SINK ON THIS ONE !!!!!!
I'm with Byron on this light thing but 3500ci well with the wife and all maybe but remember this if you pack it in you have to pack it out and it will be all up hill baby.

I would look into good sized ruck sacks that will hold the must goes and maybe trim it down from there. Water is what 8lbs. per gln.??????? or is that gasoline.:)

[Mtnseeker1]

Believe it or not you will not need a water purifier.
Talk to the locales and there are many fresh water springs that are piped right out of the rock that taste great but do not drink from the stream!
Most important is to just have fun and I for one love to get into the creek by camp and have the little fishes tickle my toes.
You'll have a blast when your in there but qaulity of hike is up to you. GO LITE

[cw50must]

Thanks for all the input. We went to a few places over the weekend to try some on, sports chalet, bass pro shop, and REI. Can anyone comment as to the quality of the REI store brand packs? they had a few clearance ones that were decent deals.

[reverse_dyno]

I bought the cheapest REI branded snowboard backpack they had about 6 years ago. It lasted a long time. REI branded goods are always high quality, however they normally do not have the finishing touches that an arc'teryx product would have.

If I were you I would look for packs that hold around 5200ci. You need to think about what kind of trips you might want to do in the future, backpacks are expensive after all. Also, larger volume backpacks are not that much heaver than smaller volume packs, that extra space allows you to dig in your pack and arrange stuff in it nicely, rather than just stuff everything in. Remember that you will most likely be carrying the bulk of the gear if you go backpacking with a female. Men can carry a higher proportion of their body weight than women can. Men also normally weigh more, which generally means that she should be carrying dramatically less than you will be. 3500ci is a good size for a female, but in my opinion it is too small for a mans multi-day backpack.

[Jammer]

Can anyone comment as to the quality of the REI store brand packs? they had a few clearance ones that were decent deals.

My last two packs have been the REI Mars variety. I actually loved the older version, but can't complain too much about the new one. I don't baby my packs at all, so they take a beating. The first one lasted over 120 nights out on the trail over 4 years.

That said... I had a friend who had one of the VENUS packs and she HATED it. She actually took it back and REI was cool enough to give her a refund even after she had used it for one big trip.

So... besides the obvious Men are from Mars, Women from Venus jokes... it again shows that each body is unique and you need to find one that works for you.

- Jamal

[Scott Card]

Osprey packs..... numero uno! I love mine.

[kvolk]

I simply can not agree with reverse_dyno on the size of the pack. You tend to fill your pack whatever the size. 3500 ci should be big enough for a 6-7 day trip. I have a couple of Arctyrex Bora 80 packs that are real load haulers but I'm not anymore and they are overkill. I gave them to my boys and I use Granite Gear packs now. That being said, i don't hike in the desert area after April and if you have to haul a lot of water you may want a bigger pack. The great thing about buying from REI is that if the pack doesn't work out for you is that you can take it back no questions asked. I agree with borrowing or renting for the first couple of trips until you get things worked out. The reason that most BPers have a half dozen or more packs isn't because they use them all. Another brand that I really like is ULA but they are a little more specialized for people who have their light weight kit pretty well worked out.

[bowjunkie]

Osprey packs..... numero uno! I love mine.

X2

[gnwatts]

My favorite pack of all time. Water proof with a very effective belt system that pivots. I also used Gregory packs for years, indestructible. In between my Gregory (I had it for 10 years) and my Arcteryx I've had it now for 5 years) I tried a granite Gear pack, light weight and comfy but did not hold up to southern Utah rocks, ripped material, and the belt buckle broke soon after purchase.
My $.02.
Greg

[Wasatch Rebel]

I have a Kelty Lakota and at 4000 cu, I had a hard time putting all I needed into it. Maybe I'm not that great of light packer, but I thought I took the bare minimum (no extra pants, one extra shirt), a lot of freeze dried food, a light poncho, sleeping bag, pad, tent, water bladder, and a small fishing kit. If I had to do it over again, I'd go with a bit larger pack, say 4500 cu. Especially since as novices you are likely to carry more than you actually need. Either that or read up on ultralight backpacking and pack accordingly.

[Simple]

I have an REI brand pack and it has served me well for multiple hikes. However, it did need some braking-in first. On the first trip I took it on I got scabs on my hips and shoulders. My husband has an osprey and he loves it. I probably should have gone with something nicer. The more comfortable your pack is, the more enjoyable the whole experience is. It's worth it to put out some extra cash for a more comfortable pack.

[accadacca]

Osprey packs..... numero uno! I love mine.

Ditto. I don't have one yet, but it will be my next.

[Don]

Backpacker Magazine's Gear Guide for 2012 is out now. Always lots of good advice and (obviously) gear reviews in there...